Rodri, captain of the Spanish national football team, affirmed that the desire to win should outweigh the fear of losing on Sunday against Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final, speaking about the difficulty of overcoming his team which he described as 'very complete'. During a press conference on Friday in the Manhattan neighborhood in the heart of New York City, USA, Rodri stated: 'We are coming from a process of gradual growth, and we have seen the team mature in recent years. I said earlier that this generation will leave its mark, and the path toward the greatest that a football player can achieve is what we have taken: the UEFA Nations League, then the European Championship, and now reaching the World Cup final.' The 'La Roja' captain added: 'We came to win the tournament. We will face the toughest opponent, and this is the perfect test to know our ability to lift the trophy. I told the youngsters that we must have a greater desire to win than fear of losing.' The Manchester City midfielder predicted a direct and more physical confrontation between the two finalists. He emphasized the importance of the midfield, saying: 'They have a great midfield, and so do we. I don't think that will be the deciding factor, but the team that imposes its control will have greater chances.' Rodri considered provocations and mind games as another part of the game. He explained: 'If things go in that direction, we have to ignore them and not get drawn into provocations.' On his team's weakness, he said: 'I won't tell you, otherwise they will take notes. Like all teams, we have strengths and weaknesses, but I can say we are a very complete team, difficult to beat, and we handle both penalty areas well and control the midfield. We have weaknesses, but I keep them to myself.' The midfield star, and the best player in the world for 2024, praised Argentina's legend Lionel Messi, describing him as 'the best in history without doubt.' He added: 'But I think the Argentine team is much bigger than Messi alone. It is a very complete team with a very high level.' From Rodri's point of view, the two teams that reached the final are the ones that have shown the best collective performance in the World Cup.